It depends very much on two things, as the late creativity maestro Dr Edward de Bono put it:

1) What do you choose to see?

2) Where do you direct your attention?

He added these astute observations:

"The reasons that many opportunities pass us by is a perceptual one - we do not recognise an opportunity for what it is. An opportunity exists only when we see it." ...

"Everyone is surrounded by opportunities. But they only exist once they have been seen. And they will only be seen if they are looked for."

Godspeed!

I particularly like what I am reading:

"In a fast-moving, competitive world, being able to learn new skills is one of the keys to success. It's not enough to be smart — you need to always be getting smarter," says Heidi Grant Halvorson, author of HBR's 'Single Nine Things Successful People Do Differently'.

"We need to constantly look for opportunities to stretch ourselves in ways that may not always feel comfortable at first. Continual improvement is necessary to get ahead," says Joseph Weintraub, coauthor of the book, The Coaching Manager: Developing Top Talent in Business.